RIM Aims for Reinvention With BlackBerry 10 Launch

After months of delays, the company really needs a strong reception for the new phones and operating system, due to be shown off later on Wednesday at an event in New York.

RIM is pulling out all the stops, starting with the event here, and continuing with a marketing blitz that includes the company’s first-ever Super Bowl ad.

There are a bunch of things to watch for beyond the device and software itself. First off will be which apps and services RIM has managed to get to support the products at launch. They’ve already announced some support, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, the NHL and Major League Baseball.

But these days the list of apps and services that consumers expect to use on their phone has grown long and wide. Also key will be how much love the company is getting from the cellular carriers. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have all said they will carry new BlackBerry devices, but just when and how much marketing they will get is another question.

AllThingsD will have live coverage and analysis as things get going around 7 am PT.

9:31 am: It’s still half hour to go, but we are in and seated.

For those wondering just where things are taking place, the event is at a pier on the lower eastern tip of Manhattan.

9:37 am: While we have a second, I’d like to introduce the band. We have Lauren Goode on camera and color commentary. I’m Ina, and I’ll be on the keyboard.

9:45 am: While we are waiting, it’s a good time to check out this classic video from RIM’s BlackBerry Jam developer event last year. Yes, those are actually RIM employees covering REO Speedwagon. And no, very little rhymes with SDK.

9:46 am: Lauren here. A quick survey of the press area shows a lot of … iPhones being used. But I did spot at least one BlackBerry PlayBook in the wild.

10:00 am: Things should kick off momentarily, eh.

10:03 am: Looks like they will have Angry Birds for BB10.

10:05 am: A RIM guy is “reporting live” from the middle of the press section, showing video and pictures from some of the simultaneous launch events around the globe, including Toronto, Paris, London and Dubai.

10:16 am: “We have definitely been on a journey of transformation,” Heins says. “Now, finally, here we are.”

10:18 am: “Today is actually not the finish line,” Heins says. “It is the starting line.”

10:19 am: He’s talking about the BlackBerry 10 customer, using the same kinds of terms he has used in the past, talking about fast-moving, hyperconnected people.

10:22 am: Heins says the company had a big decision to make two years ago, in choosing whether to license someone else’s operating system or continue building its own software.

“We made the tough call to go it alone,” Heins says.

10:24 am: Heins gives a shout out to former CEO Mike Lazaridis, who is in the audience.

“Thank you for guiding us into the future,” Heins says.

Heins says the company is dropping the RIM brand and going with the name BlackBerry for the company and its products.

“From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world,” Heins says.

10:27 am: And there they are, the first two devices. The touchscreen BlackBerry Z10 (or “Zed 10,” as Heins calls it), and the keyboard-equipped Q10.

The Z10 has a 4.2-inch display with roughly 350 pixels per inch.

“There’s a lot of physical-keyboard lovers out there,” Heins says. “We heard you loud and clear.”

Heins promises that both touchscreen and physical-keyboard BB10 devices will offer the best typing experience on a smartphone.

10:32 am: Head of software Vivek Bhardwaj comes out to demo the new devices, showing off the BlackBerry Hub — the central place that is a swipe away, and offers access to email and other messaging.

“It’s about moving between applications,” he says. “It’s not about home buttons.”

Another feature, also previously demoed, lets users peek into the Hub while doing other things, such as watching a video.

The Hub can handle BBM messages, Facebook friend requests, LinkedIn invitations and email, among other communications.

“You’ll notice everything is easy to manage,” Bhardwaj says.

One can not only read messages from within the Hub, but act on them. Within the Hub, one can accept a friend request, post a Tweet or do other actions, without opening a separate app.

10:37 am: Also available is your next meeting, both the time and information, as well as details on the people who are attending. The contact details include the most recent text messages and call data, as well as contact information and their recent status updates.

Demo of the software keyboard, which does some really good autocorrect. (Are you listening, Apple?)

One can even move between different languages in one message. Que bueno!

10:43 am: Next demo is BlackBerry Balance, the feature that lets one have separate areas for work and personal stuff. They are making the case that this won’t interrupt the flow, and will provide a unified interface — a tricky feat for such container-based systems.

Heins says he hoped that some of those people carrying two devices will merge and carry one BlackBerry 10 phone.

10:45 am: Most (all?) of the software features shown so far have been part of previous BlackBerry 10 discussions.

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